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Mike and I left our house in Greensboro, N.C. at 5:00 a.m. expecting to be the only ones at the airport. The lobby was very busy, but we got our boarding passes and checked our luggage in the first class line very quickly. Security wasn't bad, maybe 10 minutes, usually resembles the Hooterville train station. Our flight left on time, we were on Row 1. We landed in Cincinnati, found our new gate and boarded immediately, I had a Bloody Mary downed by our 9:00 departure time. About 9:20 and we hear the pilot mentioning a security breach in the terminal; soon the flight attendant groans that everyone has to deboard and go back through security. The entire concourse ends up outside security, but my blood sugar had whacked out from no food for hours, so I sat on the floor until the line began to move to the security checkpoint. Once into the cue, we realized the first class security line was nearby, so we hopped the ropes and breezed right through. We decided to check with the Delta desk about our Salt Lake City connection which we knew we would not make now. We were put on standby for the first two flights out and confirmed on the 8:45 first class. We boarded our Cincy flight and it left about noon, without some passengers. Something about pilots' flight hours. We were fine, we were on it and "getting out of Dodge." Lunch was really breakfast, but I got it all down, really quite good but then breakfast was about 9 hours ago at home. Sometime during the in-flight movie (I dozed), a teenage downs syndrome boy tried to enter the cockpit. Towards the end of the flight he was screaming uncontrollably, hitting several passengers. He was finally subdued, the nurse sitting behind me volunteered to inject the valium. Isaac woke up about 10 minutes from landing, screaming again. Fortunately he was in coach so we felt somewhat safe from his fists. Our jet had priority landing, we watched the EMTs whisk him away, us right after them. I'll never forget the flight attendant's words, "We have everything under control now." We landed in SLC around noon it's time, and checked with the commuter desk on the first standby flight. Our hearts sank because it was a sure thing it was full. We watched the commuter flight take off without us; our luggage was on board, Vegas bound.

The next flight out of SLC was at 5:50 so we camped out in the terminal. Fortunately our names were at the top of the standby list, but as that flight was boarding our hearts sank again watching all the late arrivals board. I was crying inside. Then our names were called and in a flash we were seated together, in coach, however, an hour in the air and there was the strip. We arrived at 6:00 Vegas time, our luggage chained up along with about 50 others outside the Delta claims office. I grinned ear to ear at the clerk as he checked our verification and zoom, out the doors and into a cab. Aladdin here we come! I had called reservations in SLC to announce our late but certain arrival. Within minutes we opened the door to room 2038, marveling at the size of the room, the sofa, the internet connection and exploring the bathroom. Then I opened the draperies. And the breath was sucked out of my lungs. The view!!! Oh, the view. Not only Bellagio, but Rio, Caesars, Mirage and Paris and Aladdin pool. Dinnertime now. We opted for Tremezzo and pricey it is, but impeccable service and very tasty. I changed from wine to coffee so I could stay awake. After wandering to Paris, we decided to go crash.

Awake at 5:30, I pestered Mike to wake up. "What can we do at 5:30 a.m.? Go back to sleep!" Mind you, I am the sleepyhead at our house. "Time's awasting! I wanna go up the strip!" So after slots until the breakfast buffet started, we went to Paris again, then Harrah's and into Imperial Dump cause I had to get my Dusenberg fix. Now THAT's a car. But then we hoofed to Caesars so I could say hello to the satin silver Mustang GT convertible there. I have the exact car, but in hardtop. We stayed four hours in Caesars, talking to a gal wearing a The Who shirt in the collectibles store. She was from Kansas and there for the The Who concert Saturday. Mike and I found a bar, guzzled a beer each and I demanded Cheesecake Factory. Now Mike hates cheesecake, but after watching the altercation between Alanya and Atlas, he had worked up a hunger. The Sante Fe salad was the best salad of my life. Mind you, there was room for dessert. I closed my eyes and let my finger choose which flavor. Boston Cream cheesecake. Ate till I was stuffed. Back to Aladdin for a 10 minute nap before shopping at Desert Passage. Around 7 we walked to the MGM, exploring several places along the way. Our kitchen is retro, in red, white and black, so we expanded our Coca-Cola theme by buying more pot holders and kitchen towels. Settling into seats at the big bar at MGM, we had a beer and watched the show on stage behind the bar. About the time "Elvis" started, it was time for us to glance at the sleeping "kitties" and walk to NYNY for our 9:00 dinner reservations at Gallagher's. The manager remembered us and gave us a booth in the back. Menu? Nope, I decided weeks ago on my selections. Clam Chowder and pork chop. No veggie. The place was still hopping when we departed at 10:30, photos of us there in hand. Back over the walkway, past MGM, and back to Aladdin, past Vegas cops and cuffed "perps." Mike talked me into playing slots. I settled into a seat, played for an hour, never comped a drink. He poked me awake several times to finish playing and then we crashed.

Saturday, September 14, 2002. The Who Concert Day at The Joint at The Hard Rock

Awake around 9; we already knew our Saturday would start with the champagne brunch downstairs. Armando waited on us again, he remembered us from June 30th (we tip well). We started playing slots and immediately we were comped champagne. We changed machines, trying for the Boxter. Two and a half hours later, many champagnes later, my $40 ran out. By this time it was mid-afternoon, I was demanding a cheeseburger. We stumbled our way to Cheeseburger at the Oasis, whereupon I inhaled one and some fries. By 3:30 we were back in our room to sleep them off. We awakened around 6:30 feeling fine, but certainly not hungry. Every time we started to leave the room, the fountains would start up. Eventually we walked outside for the first time that day. We took at taxi at 9:15 to The Hard Rock. The place was really wild, we got in line for The Joint when I spotted the gal from Caesars yesterday and talked to her again while we waited for the doors to open. Once inside, we found our back row seats and waited the hour for the show to begin. The Who was fantastic, playing very well and the sound system was perfect. Mike can go on for hours about each song played. We are even specks in a photo on The Who webpage.

The show ended around 12:40, we met up with our friend (we never got her name!) and I asked her to split a taxi. She ended up getting out with us at Aladdin (we treated her to the fare) and we showed her the front door for her walk to the Imperial Dump. We headed for food in the Zanzibar Cafe, waiting probably 20 minutes for a table. The food was actually good, Mike got a cheeseburger (enough, enough!) and it was 2:30 when we finished. Back to the room to get out of my fancy clothes where I started eyeing the bed. Since we had a 6:40 a.m. flight, no sense in going to bed. But Mike decided he'd go play slots (still wide open downstairs) and wake me at 4:00. He returned at 3:35, $80 down in slots. We both showered (I had to get the smoke smell out of my hair, gag). We headed out, very sad. Fortunately two guys were arriving in a cab, cause there were no others out there. So off to McCarran, to the Delta first class line. Security was speedy there, and shortly our flight loaded for the quick trip to SLC.

At SLC, I was first in line for boarding, and the agent said either Mike or I had to volunteer for a random security search. "Me, me" so I let the lady "wand" me while the man searched my purse. Kotex and make up and the cell phone. Where's a .357 when you need it??? Bloody Mary time, and keep 'em coming. I wasn't hungry for the lunch after our Cinnabun at SLC, but it was good. We stopped over in Oklahoma City, then on to Tulsa and Atlanta.

Three hour layover at Hartsfield - I was looking forward to shopping and a good meal. I forgot the good shopping was outside security, and all the sit down restaurants were full so we entered the madness at Burger King. Another cheeseburger. Then the bad news. Our flight was nearly an hour late out of O'Hare. We boarded around 11:00 p.m., too tired to count hours awake now. Row 1, Seats A&B. I switched to a vodka tonic, grabbed my usual pillow and "blankie" and closed my eyes, finally landing at Greensboro at midnight. And the heart stopping ending? The guy who breached security in Cincy was sitting next to us. Mike had to keep me from killing him. Of course this clown got on board with enough carry on to outfit Cher for a week. I heard him admitting the breach to the flight attendant. His stupidity caused us a six hour time loss in Vegas and our first class seats from SLC to Vegas. Good thing he disappeared in the Greensboro airport cause I was after his ass. Still am.

We cashed in our sky miles; flying was FREE!!! From North Carolina first class would be well over $2,000. I told the kids, we sneaked up on N.C. coming home - via SLC, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Atlanta. But we'd do it again, just give ourselves an extra day. We're going to Boston next week to The Who show and it's back to coach...